By the Team Bath Press Office: The University of Bath men’s 1st XV have been crowned as BUCS Super Rugby league champions for the first time in the competition’s 10-year history
A superbly executed 17-7 away win at Durham, Bath’s 11th successive victory, ensured Aaron James’ men finished two points clear of previous champions Loughborough at the top of the table.
“It’s been a long time and we’ve been building, building, building towards this,” said an emotional James after the match. “This is a massive reward for so many people – the S&C coaches, physios, video analysis, facilities, groundsmen, senior management, the whole of Team Bath and the SU, everyone who works so hard for us.
“I’m lucky enough to be the Head of Rugby but my role is 5-10 per cent. This is a reward for the club and all of our supporters, I’m pleased we have this for everybody.
“What I’m most proud of is the way all the players have developed themselves over the years. Some of these guys started in our 4th and 5th teams and they’ve come through. That’s what we are about, we are a performance team with a really high development focus.
“We have a culture which has been taken on by everyone in the club. It’s an environment we all enjoy and we’re definitely going to enjoy this moment.”
Player of the match Freddy Rossigneux, who scored one try and set up the other, added: “The heart we showed and the way we dug deep tells you everything about this team. We use around 50 players a season and the boys who come in know their detail, know what they have to do and they buy in.
“We are a tight-knit bunch, right through the 1s, 2s, 3s, and it’s that Brothers culture that really puts us apart.”
Bath, sponsored by Bath Building Society, fielded 49 players over the course of the season and won 15 of their 18 matches, scoring 101 tries and 73 conversions. Prop Alfie Griffin and half-back Roman Andrews appeared in every match-day squad, with Isaac Mears and Iwan Coyle missing just one game apiece, and co-captain Max Pearce was top try scorer with 11.
They went into Wednesday’s match in pole position following the previous week’s crucial victory over Loughborough but knew they would have to win against a Durham side who were the last team to beat Bath, all the way back in early November.
The visitors handled the pressure superbly and opened the scoring inside six minutes when, from Harry Walker’s punt forward, full-back Rossigneux produced some great handling to collect the bouncing ball and race over the line for Bath’s 100th try of the season.
James Beverley had a simple conversion and he also added the extras when Bath notched their second try just before the half-hour mark. Rossigneux was again involved, taking a big hit as he caught a Durham clearance into the Bath 22 but somehow regaining his feet and surging forward before passing inside for winger Rocky Prowse to race into the corner.
Bath’s well-drilled defence kept Durham at bay until the 54th minute when hooker Louis Inman managed to force his way over and Louie Platt’s conversion cut the gap to 14-7.
The visitors quickly forced a penalty at the other end, though, and Beverley’s successful kick eased the pressure on Bath, who saw out the remaining 25 minutes to secure a historic victory.
Bath, who are also supported by Team Bath partners Rengen, have another shot at silverware in the BUCS Super Rugby Milk Championship and will entertain Cardiff in the quarter-finals. That match is taking place on the 3G Pitch at the Team Bath Sports Training Village on Wednesday 25th March (6.30pm), free admission for spectators.
Pictures of (1) captain Max Pearce lifting the league trophy; (2) players, coaches and support staff with the trophy; (3) an emotional Aaron James; (4) player of the match Freddy Rossigneux getting a hug from Isaac Mears. CREDIT: Ben Lumley/BUCS.
Bath Voice and Local Democracy Reporters
The journalists are funded by the BBC as part of its latest Charter commitment, but are employed by regional news organisations. A total of 165 reporters are allocated to news organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland including Bath Voice. These organisations range from television and radio stations to online media companies and established regional newspaper groups. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities, second-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
Bath Voice Monthly Newspaper is distributed free to thousands of homes and some supermarkets – distributed from the first of the month. Harry Mottram is the News Editor
Email him at news@bathvoice.co.uk Bath website: https://bathvoice.co.uk/news/
Bath Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdtf2kep Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bath_voice And Bluesky @bathvoicenews.bsky.social And also on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/harrymottram6/
Read the newspaper online at :https://issuu.com/bathvoice
To advertise to thousands of Bathonians call Shaun on 07540 383870 or email him on sales@bathvoice.co.uk